GMR-led Hyderabad International Airport handled yet another special passenger chartered Air India flight to evacuate 98 US nationals from Hyderabad on Tuesday. The flight, AI 1617(arrival)/AI 1618 (departure), an airbus A 320 aircraft, landed at 3.12 p.m. from Mumbai and departed at 4.15 p.m. for Mumbai.
The flight was purely domestic and operated from the main passenger terminal building and as per the flight itinerary, the passengers were to be further connected with Delta Airlines from Mumbai to their final destination in the US. The flight was taken up in coordination with the US Consulate and the Telangana government and it also had one infant on board.
The passengers arrived at the airport around 1 p.m. from various parts and they were serviced through the fully-sanitised main terminal building. A select group of personnel from GHIAL Terminal Operations, Airside Operations, Airport Operations & Control Center, Air Traffic Control, IT Team, Central Industrial Security Force and others were available to ensure safe and seamless departure, said an official spokesman.
Special screening and safety measures were in place during the flight’s handling to protect against the COVID-19 threat, including thermal screening prior to terminal entry and mandatory social distancing enforced through special queuing arrangements at all passenger processing points. The airport had already handed evacuation of 38 Germans by another special AI flight and an IndiGo which had to drop a few crew members and ferry others to Chennai.
The RGIA’s cargo terminal was also fully operational to keep the vital link of essential supplies completely alive and working round the clock transporting medicines, pharma and other key goods, he added.
